For client organizations, any new technology is a sense making process. The customers are asking: what´s in it for our company?

Let´s have a look on the customer perspective on IoT. The customers´ questions might be:

• How to make the business case for the investment?
• What needs to be changed in the current business model?
• How would we be committed to the service provider?
• To outsource or insource the performance center?
• Lots of data, big data. What is relevant?
• Which are the reflections to new people resources needs?
• As a result, processes need to restructured, how?
• How to manage the change and learning?
• What are the KPIs?
• When turning the organization to knowledge intensive practices – how to refine and manage data?

Many of these questions are strategic. What else do these questions reflect? They indicate that for the client organizations, IoT may represent a major change in the business model, which affects e.g. resource management, competence development and business processes on all levels. The decision is strategic and complex, as it contains major business opportunities, as well as risks. Many people need to be involved.

Also, for the selling organization this is an opportunity, competence challenge and a risk: how to take the consultative role in supporting the sense and decision making in the customer´s organizations?

Answer: the service provider can take the consultative role only if you understand – besides the technology – the change management needed in the customer organizations. This issue cannot be coped with, if customer empathy is missing from the selling team.